Something beautiful in the fallout
by Breathing January
Summary: A/U. In which Draco is a heroin addict and Harry is a cancer patient and neither of them really know what they got themselves into.


"Draco?" It was a whisper, small and fragile.

"Yeah, I'm here." but he didn't quite feel there.

"Sir, are you feeling well?" it was an unfamiliar voice and Draco shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm feeling fine."

The one whom the unfamiliar voice belonged too was rather confused because of Draco. Shaking his head, meaning no he wasn't feeling well but saying he was feeling fine. Which was it going to be?

"Are you sure? You are sweating in an air conditioned room."

"Fine, fine" he spoke fast, his left eye twitching.

"Draco, how long has it been?" the whisper came again and Draco calmed somewhat at the voice.

"A couple days."

There was a small splat as the nurse dropped the bag of medicine in the IV system. It exploded and Draco looked over, raising an eyebrow at her. The clear liquid was spread all over the floor and she was staring at Draco.

"Draco." came the small whisper again and the grip on Draco's hand tightened.

"Sir, are you sure you're fine?" This time she sounded suspicious.

Draco's eyes narrowed at her, and he dropped his grip on the patients hand.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Harry."

Harry's heart monitor had a steady beep to it in the dead silent room.

When Draco walked in, accompanied by a nurse who opened the door for him, like always, Harry tried to sit up and the heart monitor beeps sped up a little bit.

While trying to sit up, the IV cord got yanked from Harry's arm and he stopped, "Oops" he mumbled.

The nurse rushed over to press it back into his arm and Draco smiled a little, "Hi."

Harry smiled back and it took Draco's breath away.

Draco pulled over a chair and sat beside the bed, grabbing a hold of Harry's frail hand. His back was in pain and curving it the way it does when he leans onto the bed does not help with that, but he doesn't care. Harry's grip on his hand was painful, but he didn't care. Really.

"Remember when we first met?" Harry suddenly said, and Draco almost couldn't. His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned and Harry watched him try to remember and sighed. He was disappointed. Draco was high when they first met, but he knows he can remember. It'll just take a moment.

"Yes, I do." Draco replied after a moment, his eyes lighting up and his posture straightened very quickly, causing his back to spasm. He refused to cringe.

Harry smiled at him, beamed.

"It was at a skate park at around 1 am. You never did tell me what you were doing there? You stuck out like a sore thumb." Draco laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry scoffed, raising his eyebrows at Draco.

"It means, you're a good guy. You shouldn't have been around with people like me. Still shouldn't be. I doubt I'm helping you right now." A sad smile crept onto Draco's lips.

Harry yanked his hand out of Draco's grasp and swatted his arm, "You're not messing up anything, you idiot. It all relies on the chemo, not you."

Sighing, Draco nodded, "I know. Sometimes I just feel as though this never wouldn't happened if we never met."

There was a heavy silence weighing down on them and Harry looked away, pulling at the frayed ends of the blanket.

"This had already been going on before we met, you know."

Grey eyes shot up and narrowed at Harry. A stare like that would have anyone cowering in fear. But not Harry anymore, because he knows Draco now.

Abruptly, Draco stood and left the hospital room, and the room went back to the beeping of the heart monitor.

"It's been a while since your boy toy has visited, hun." said the nurse as she filled the IV again.

Harry turned away from her and sighed.

They could always try surgery? Cut out the bad stuff and stitch him back up.

Harry lost a lot of blood in the process though. They searched for the same blood type for a couple days afterwards.

Had to put him into a self induced coma. He was suffering from the blood loss. They really messed up. They don't know how.

Now he has two IV systems set up, one with blood dripping into his veins and the other is what it always was.

Draco has no idea.

He hasn't visited for a long time.

He was awake the next time Draco showed up.

But he wasn't really functional.

"Where'd you go for so long?"

"Tried rehab."

That made Harry's day. Hell, it made his life. The most he could do without being in a lot of pain is turn his head to look Louis in the eyes. He beamed at him.

They both looked like shit.

Harry with his yellow, sallow skin and no hair and dull eyes and frail limbs. Draco with the dark, dark circles under his eyes, and the quiver to his bottom lip and greasy hair and bleeding skin.

"I tried." he whimpered.

"So did I." Harry replied.

Draco climbed into the bed beside Harry, avoided all the cords and tubes and cuddled up to him. He stayed until the visiting hours were over. They didn't say much.

They highly doubt he's going to make it. They tried everything they could.

All the radiation at the beginning of the treatments did was slow down the cancer from growing and take away Harry's sense of taste. Then Harry's body rejected the chemo, and the surgery didn't help.

"I love you, okay?"

"I love you, too, Draco."

"Like, a lot." Draco insisted.

Harry nodded, a smile on his lips and a new sparkle in his eye.

When Draco got the call from Harry's doctor, he sighed and sat down on the floor.

It was expected and at the time, Draco didn't really feel anything, just disappointed that he wasn't there for him more.

And then it hit him three days later that he wasn't going to be able to see Harry anymore.

And then Harry's guardian, Remus, was calling and asking about him and eulogies and tuxes and _wow_.

They didn't hear from Draco for a while.

"I was doing so good, though." he slurred.

"What's your point?" She tightened the band around her arm.

"It was all for him."

"Well, he's gone, isn't he?" She handed him a needle.

Draco nodded and took the needle, tightening the band with his teeth. He closed his eyes for a moment before stabbing the point deep into his skin and letting the heroin leak into his body.

It just wasn't the same anymore.


End file.
